12: Building Instagram’s First Female Travel Community with Nastasia Yakoub
In this episode, we speak with Nastasia Yakoub, a travel photographer, author and founder of the popular womxn's travel community called Dame Traveler.
Coming from a conservative Chaldean background, Nastasia left her family in Michigan to pursue nursing and later became one of Instagram's first full-time travel creators.
At the age of twenty, Nastasia embarked on a solo trip to South Africa to volunteer at an orphanage in Cape Town, which sparked a love of world travel. Recognizing a void in the travel industry, Nastasia launched Dame Traveler, the first female travel community on Instagram, now more than half a million strong. Nastasia herself has traveled to over sixty-seven countries on solo adventures.
In this conversation, we cover the highs and the lows of being a creator on Instagram and celebrate the feminist spirit that has guided Nastasia’s work, from forming Dame Traveler to publishing a travel adventure book earlier this year and supporting other womxn in the travel space.
“Why do you want to do it? What's the impact that you want to make? What do you want to fulfill in your own life?
You have to ask yourself the hard questions. My why was, I wanted a way to show the world that all these womxn were doing it. I wanted to show the world that womxn are more than what you perceive them to be.”
Want to know how you can start publishing your travel stories? Download my step-by-step guide to publishing your stories and start sending your ideas out into the world!
What you’ll learn in this episode:
[03:42] On photographing New York’s evolution during COVID
[06:32] Dreaming of a world outside the conservative Chaldean community she was raised in
[12:55] Reflecting on Dame Traveler’s origin story and its roots in feminism
[14:51] How Nastasia’s injury on the job created space to explore her creativity
[16:58] A trip to South Africa lit a fire for exploration
[18:02] Starting with a simple premise, Nastasia created the first female-focused travel account on Instagram
[24:05] Why we need to define your “why” as a source of inspiration to keep you motivated
[28:18] The moment Nastasia realized she was working on someone else's dream rather than her own
[38:15] Reflecting on social media and its impact on the travel industry
[45:52] Finding joy and optimism in life, even in the hardest moments
[47:02] Why Nastasia started a print shop and wanted to share “a little piece of my perspective of the world, in other people's homes, I think that's a beautiful thing.”
[48:19] Nastasia gives advice to her younger self
[51:07] A parting thought on the importance of giving yourself more credit
Featured on the show:
Follow Nastasia Yakoub on Instagram | @dametraveler and @nastasiaspassport
Check out Nastasia’s NYC project | @lovelettertonewyorkcity
Check out Nastasia’s book, Dame Traveler: Live The Spirit of Adventure, available in stores now!
Check out our membership community, The Circle, the place where brilliant womxn creators go to claim their dreams, get support, take action, and build their dream creative lives
Come join us in the Genius Womxn Facebook Group
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